1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a part of a substrate transfer apparatus for carrying in and carrying out a substrate in a substrate processing equipment, and particularly to an equipment front end module (EFEM) which is a substrate transfer apparatus of semiconductor processing equipment.
2. Background Art
FIG. 20 is a section showing a semiconductor processing equipment 1 of a related art, which is partly cut away. The semiconductor processing equipment 1 is configured to include a wafer processing apparatus 2 and a wafer transfer apparatus 3. A space defined in the semiconductor processing equipment 1 is filled with a predetermined atmospheric gas. In this manner, attachment of dust particles floating in the air to each wafer 4 to be processed can be prevented. Each semiconductor wafer 4 is carried toward the semiconductor processing equipment 1 while contained in a front opening unified pod (FOUP) 5 which serves as a substrate container.
The wafer transfer apparatus 3 takes out a wafer 4 before processed from the FOUP 5, and transfers the wafer 4 taken out from the FOUP 5 through an interface space 9, so as to feed it to the wafer processing apparatus 2. Alternatively, the wafer transfer apparatus 3 takes out another wafer 4 already processed from the wafer processing apparatus 2, and transfers the wafer 4 taken out from the wafer processing apparatus 2 through the interface space 9, so as to return it into the FOUP 5. Specifically, the wafer transfer apparatus 3 includes a FOUP opener 6 (hereinafter, referred to as an opener 6), a robot 7, and interface space-constituting walls defining the interface space 9. A space 12 in the FOUP and the interface space 9 are each airtightly closed against an external space 13, as such they can be maintained to have very few dust particles contained therein.
The opener 6 includes a front face wall 8 having an opener-side opening formed therein such that each wafer 4 can pass therethrough, a FOUP supporting portion 11 for supporting the FOUP 5 in the exterior of the interface space 9, and an opener-side door adapted to open and close the front face wall 8. The opener 6 drives the FOUP-side door of the FOUP 5 and the opener-side door to be displaced, while preventing the outside air from entering inside, so as to have the space 12 in the FOUP and the interface space 9 be in communication with each other. In this state, the robot 7 carries each wafer 4 from the FOUP 5 to the wafer processing apparatus 2 as well as carries the wafer 4 from the wafer processing apparatus 2 to the FOUP 5. The opener 6 can also drive the FOUP-side door and the opener-side door to be displaced, so as to block the communication between the space 12 in the FOUP 5 and the interface space 9. In this way, these spaces 9, 12 are each airtightly closed against the outside air, thereby completely separating the FOUP 5 from the semiconductor processing apparatus 1. For instance, such a related art is disclosed in JP 2002-170860 A and JP 2002-359273 A.
FIGS. 21(1) to 21(3) are sections showing the related art opener 6. Along with progress of operations in the order depicted by FIGS. 21(1) to 21(3), the space 12 in the FOUP can be in communication with the interface space 9. As shown in FIGS. 21(1) to 21(3), the opener 6 includes a drive section 18 adapted to drive the opener-side door 14 and the FOUP-side door 15 to be displaced in upward and downward directions Z as well as in horizontal directions X, so as to open and close the FOUP 5. The drive section 18 is configured to include a first drive system 16 adapted to move each door 14, 15 in the upward and downward directions Z, and a second drive system 17 adapted to move each door 14, 15 in the horizontal directions X. The drive section 18 is located below the FOUP supporting portion 11.
The first drive system 16 includes a first movable portion 16a which can be moved in the upward and downward directions Z in a space defined below the FOUP supporting section 11, a first drive source 16b for driving the first movable portion 16a to be displaced in the upward and downward directions Z, and a ball screw mechanism 16c adapted to transmit power from the first drive source 16b to the first movable portion 16a. The ball screw mechanism 16c includes a screw shaft extending in the upward and downward directions, and is connected with the first movable portion 16a, via an engagement portion which can be engaged with the screw shaft. With rotation of the screw shaft due to the first drive source 16b, the first movable portion 16a can be moved in the upward and downward directions Z together with the engagement portion.
The second drive system 17 includes a connecting portion 17a which is fixed to the opener-side door 14, and a second drive source 17b for driving the connecting portion 17a to be displaced in the horizontal directions X. The second drive system 17 is mounted on the first movable portion 16a such that it can be moved in the upward and downward directions Z together with the first movable portion 16a. The connecting portion 17a is driven to be displaced, in the horizontal directions X, by the second drive source 17b, and is also driven to be displaced, in the upward and downward directions Z, by the first drive source 16b, along with the first movable portion 16a. In this way, the opener-side door 14 fixed to the connecting portion 17a and the FOUP-side door 15 held by the opener-side door 14 are also driven to be displaced in the upward and downward directions Z as well as in the horizontal directions X.
In the case of bringing the space 12 in the FOUP and the interface space 9 into communication with each other, as shown in FIG. 21(1), the opener-side door 14 is driven to remove the FOUP-side door 15 from the FOUP main body and hold the removed FOUP-side door 15. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 21(2), the connecting or hand portion 17a is driven to be moved in the horizontal directions X by the second drive source 17b. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 21(3), the hand portion 17a is moved downward by the first drive source 16b. In the case of terminating the communication between the space 12 in the FOUP and the interface space 9, procedures, which are reverse to those for bringing the space 12 in the FOUP and the interface space 9 into communication with each other, are carried out.
In the related art opener 6, since the drive section 18 adapted to open and close the FOUP 5 is located below the FOUP supporting portion 11, the opener 6 should be formed in a larger size. In addition, the space below the FOUP supporting portion 11 can not be utilized effectively. Such problems also occur, in the same manner, in a substrate container opener in which substrates other than semiconductor wafers are contained.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate container opener, which can be downsized and provide a space effectively utilizable and located below the container supporting portion.